Cardin Statement on Michael Brown and Ferguson, Missouri

Baltimore, Md. – U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the death of Ferguson, Mo., teen Michael Brown and the ongoing reaction to his shooting:

“This cycle of needlessly sacrificing our teens to violent ends must end. It is heartbreaking to see yet another American town gripped by such a tragedy. As Attorney General Holder moves forward with his investigation into the circumstances of Michael Brown’s death, I urge him to also finalize new guidance that would once and for all prohibit racial profiling by law enforcement officials. For a more permanent fix, Congress should take up and pass my bill, the End Racial Profiling Act (S. 1038). We need to better educate more of our law enforcement officials in the differences between specific suspect descriptions and sweeping generalizations or profiling that wastes valuable resources. Racial profiling is un-American. It has no place within the values of our country. It turns communities against the partnerships needed to keep our neighborhoods safe. As far too many of our communities have learned, people can be hurt.

“As we await the release of more details of the circumstances of Michael’s death, my wish for the people of Ferguson would be a moment of peace and reflection. Let us not heap more violence on top of an already gut-wrenching situation. The local police must respect the First Amendment rights of our citizens to peaceably assemble and the rights of the press to seek the truth and report on this story. I support measures to de-escalate community tensions.”